www.naks.com
A site devoted to Nakamichi Cassette decks. Also requesting parts for donation. The naks link on the left pulls up a page on all the decks produced. A friend of mine directed me to the site yesterday. Check out the 1000ZXL tape deck. There is currently one on Ebay for around $1700. Hard to believe this deck dated from 1973, pure class.
Worthwhile links
Re: Worthwhile links
Let the Good Times Roll...................
Re: Worthwhile links
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking" - Henry Ford
Re: Worthwhile links
"Change is Possible" [Parking Meter in Dundrum Shopping Centre]
Re: Worthwhile links
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking" - Henry Ford
Re: Worthwhile links
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking" - Henry Ford
Re: Worthwhile links
Gerry D wrote:http://www.jazzmessengers.com
Extensive Jazz catalogue.
A lot of excellent value offerings.
Some gems here alright http://www.jazzmessengers.com/audiophile-cd-lp
Vinyl -anything else is data storage.
Thorens TD124 Mk1 + Kuzma Stogi 12"arm, HANA Red, Gold Note PH 10 + PSU. ADI-2 Dac, Lector CDP7, Wyred4Sound pre, Airtight ATM1s, Klipsch Heresy IV, Misc Mains, RCA + XLR ICs, Tellurium Q spkr cable
Thorens TD124 Mk1 + Kuzma Stogi 12"arm, HANA Red, Gold Note PH 10 + PSU. ADI-2 Dac, Lector CDP7, Wyred4Sound pre, Airtight ATM1s, Klipsch Heresy IV, Misc Mains, RCA + XLR ICs, Tellurium Q spkr cable
Re: Worthwhile links
Nerdcave: ...is no more! 
Sitting Room: Wadia 581SE - Rega Planar 3/AT VM95ML & SH - Bluesound Node II - Copland CSA 100 - Audioplan Kontrast 3
Kitchen: WiiM Pro - Wadia 151 - B&W 685s2
Sitting Room: Wadia 581SE - Rega Planar 3/AT VM95ML & SH - Bluesound Node II - Copland CSA 100 - Audioplan Kontrast 3
Kitchen: WiiM Pro - Wadia 151 - B&W 685s2
Re: Worthwhile links
Thank you for that Simon; I would love to attend something like that!Diapason wrote:A "sound tasting" session at Abbey Road:
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/speakers ... john-dibb/
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Worthwhile links
I don't if you clicked on to the pdf, but its well worth while:
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/wp-conte ... y_Road.pdf
Sound Tasting at Abbey Road Studios:
The Lost Art of Listening
To appreciate sound, we really need to rediscover the art of listening. It’s vital to sound
connoisseurship. With wine tasting there is a process to help you really appreciate and
evaluate the wine - See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savour. So when it comes to listening -
what do you really need to do to fully appreciate sound?
I’ve got five steps for you. The target of which is to help listening become your primary sensory focus
- which can be a real challenge if you have got used to sound being something that exists only in the
background. None of the below is new or particularly esoteric: indeed in the 60’s at the birth of stereo
this sort of understanding was common knowledge.
Ensure your sound system is set up to reach its full potential: speakers and you in an equilateral
triangle to create a stereo ’image’ at ear height neither you or your speakers should be close to a
wall to prevent distortions
Make it an event, appreciation shouldn’t be rushed
Press play and get comfortable - a comfy sofa is vital! Comfort can greatly change your
appreciation of sound
Relax, it’s important to clear the mind and breath to force yourself to slow down and recognize the
space you’re in and the time you have made
Close your eyes, you may feel odd, but this is a vital stage in sound appreciation. Once you’ve
closed your eyes, within 10 seconds your brain tunes more closely into the sounds its hearing
If you follow these simple steps you should reach a state of immersion where sound (and the
appreciation of it) becomes your primary experience - far removed from sound convenience and the
white noise mentality.Sound Terminology
As you listen - what should you be listening for to help understand the quality of what you’re looking to
appreciate? Here are six terms to share with you and some short clips of music to help illustrate the
terms I’m referring to.
Transparency:
This is about the overall clarity of the sound. Similarly to a clean window, what you should hear
should be crystal clear and feel natural. Here you should listen for that overall clarity of sound - each
individual instruments is clearly defined within the sound
Wallflower Waltz: Hershy Kay and Walter Piston’s Cakewalk Ballet, Albany Records
Detail:
This is all about the distinct elements within the sound - if there’s detail in the sound you’ll be able to
hear clearly all the instruments and elements. Here you should listen for the plucking of the strings;
the detail in this track is such that you can really feel the movement of the guitarist’s fingers and the
strength of the notes as they are played
Keith Don’t Go: Acoustic Live! By Nils Lofgren: Vision Music
Timing:
Describes the precision of the notes within the sound. Here you should be listening to how
infectiously the speaker relays the rhythmic aspects of the music. Good sound should make rhythms
taut and crisp so you tap you feet when you should.
Waiting in Vain: Exodus by Bob Marley, Island Records
Stereo image:
As I mentioned earlier you should have a good distance between the speakers to enjoy a stereo
image. On this track an engineer (like Andy) has mixed the track to place the various instruments in
different places to reflect a real orchestral set up. Here you should concentrate on listening to where
you hear the instruments in the space in front of you. You should find that for example the violins are
on the left down to the double bass on the right, with the wind section behind the strings
Fever: Peggy Lee, Capitol Masters (unreleased demo)
Air and ambience:
As Andy demonstrated with reverb and echo, good sound should give a sense of the natural space
around the recording - it’s all about Air and Ambience. For this next track, close your eyes and see if
you can imagine the hall that this track was recorded in from the auditory clues in the sound. It’s all
about sound that makes you feel you’re actually ‘there’
Track 17: Eteri Gvazava, La Traviata a Paris (OST), Teldec
Slam and attack:
Recognizing ‘Slam’ is very easy, it’s the percussive force that you feel as much as hear from, for
example a drum beat. Slam provides a very obvious demonstration of the power and quality of a
speaker. In this track I think you’ll hear the slam very clearly when the drums kick in…
Take The Power Back: Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine, Sony.
So transparency, detail, timing and attack, stereo image, air and ambience, slam all help contribute to
a frame of reference to help describe and sound and to identify quality. Next time you’ll be able to say
whether sound has good detail, transparency and much more
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/wp-conte ... y_Road.pdf
Sound Tasting at Abbey Road Studios:
The Lost Art of Listening
To appreciate sound, we really need to rediscover the art of listening. It’s vital to sound
connoisseurship. With wine tasting there is a process to help you really appreciate and
evaluate the wine - See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savour. So when it comes to listening -
what do you really need to do to fully appreciate sound?
I’ve got five steps for you. The target of which is to help listening become your primary sensory focus
- which can be a real challenge if you have got used to sound being something that exists only in the
background. None of the below is new or particularly esoteric: indeed in the 60’s at the birth of stereo
this sort of understanding was common knowledge.
Ensure your sound system is set up to reach its full potential: speakers and you in an equilateral
triangle to create a stereo ’image’ at ear height neither you or your speakers should be close to a
wall to prevent distortions
Make it an event, appreciation shouldn’t be rushed
Press play and get comfortable - a comfy sofa is vital! Comfort can greatly change your
appreciation of sound
Relax, it’s important to clear the mind and breath to force yourself to slow down and recognize the
space you’re in and the time you have made
Close your eyes, you may feel odd, but this is a vital stage in sound appreciation. Once you’ve
closed your eyes, within 10 seconds your brain tunes more closely into the sounds its hearing
If you follow these simple steps you should reach a state of immersion where sound (and the
appreciation of it) becomes your primary experience - far removed from sound convenience and the
white noise mentality.Sound Terminology
As you listen - what should you be listening for to help understand the quality of what you’re looking to
appreciate? Here are six terms to share with you and some short clips of music to help illustrate the
terms I’m referring to.
Transparency:
This is about the overall clarity of the sound. Similarly to a clean window, what you should hear
should be crystal clear and feel natural. Here you should listen for that overall clarity of sound - each
individual instruments is clearly defined within the sound
Wallflower Waltz: Hershy Kay and Walter Piston’s Cakewalk Ballet, Albany Records
Detail:
This is all about the distinct elements within the sound - if there’s detail in the sound you’ll be able to
hear clearly all the instruments and elements. Here you should listen for the plucking of the strings;
the detail in this track is such that you can really feel the movement of the guitarist’s fingers and the
strength of the notes as they are played
Keith Don’t Go: Acoustic Live! By Nils Lofgren: Vision Music
Timing:
Describes the precision of the notes within the sound. Here you should be listening to how
infectiously the speaker relays the rhythmic aspects of the music. Good sound should make rhythms
taut and crisp so you tap you feet when you should.
Waiting in Vain: Exodus by Bob Marley, Island Records
Stereo image:
As I mentioned earlier you should have a good distance between the speakers to enjoy a stereo
image. On this track an engineer (like Andy) has mixed the track to place the various instruments in
different places to reflect a real orchestral set up. Here you should concentrate on listening to where
you hear the instruments in the space in front of you. You should find that for example the violins are
on the left down to the double bass on the right, with the wind section behind the strings
Fever: Peggy Lee, Capitol Masters (unreleased demo)
Air and ambience:
As Andy demonstrated with reverb and echo, good sound should give a sense of the natural space
around the recording - it’s all about Air and Ambience. For this next track, close your eyes and see if
you can imagine the hall that this track was recorded in from the auditory clues in the sound. It’s all
about sound that makes you feel you’re actually ‘there’
Track 17: Eteri Gvazava, La Traviata a Paris (OST), Teldec
Slam and attack:
Recognizing ‘Slam’ is very easy, it’s the percussive force that you feel as much as hear from, for
example a drum beat. Slam provides a very obvious demonstration of the power and quality of a
speaker. In this track I think you’ll hear the slam very clearly when the drums kick in…
Take The Power Back: Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine, Sony.
So transparency, detail, timing and attack, stereo image, air and ambience, slam all help contribute to
a frame of reference to help describe and sound and to identify quality. Next time you’ll be able to say
whether sound has good detail, transparency and much more
Do or do not, there is no try
Re: Worthwhile links
I certainly did Fran and I downloaded it as a keeper.Fran wrote:I don't if you clicked on to the pdf, but its well worth while:
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/wp-conte ... y_Road.pdf
Sound Tasting at Abbey Road Studios:
The Lost Art of Listening
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra